Commentary

As we approach the TPM Conference in March, it’s hard to recall any year in the 15 years of this event when the industry was more unsettled, more dissatisfied and more uncertain of what the future holds. Such is the result of a monumentally troublesome 2014, when shippers and their providers absorbed more broadsides from more directions and with less notice than any year in memory.

News & Analysis

U.S. containerized imports in 2015 will increase a paltry 1.7 percent, dragged down by West Coast port congestion, JOC Economist Mario Moreno told the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach on Monday.

Cargo interests undoubtedly are relieved that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association reached a tentative contract deal on Feb. 20 after more than nine months of unexpectedly difficult negotiations, but now it’s time for importers and exporters to reassess their commitment to West Coast ports.

The economic fundamentals of the trans-Pacific trade are strengthening, setting the stage for what would normally generate rapid growth in container volumes, especially in the eastbound trade. But this isn’t a normal year.

Los Angeles-Long Beach will always be a vital U.S. gateway, but the nine-month labor dispute that helped bring West Coast ports to the brink of being shutdown is making shippers and industry analysts take a hard look at the trans-Pacific supply chain.

Trans-Atlantic carriers face a struggle to hike rates amid rising capacity and new competition, even as the euro’s slide against the U.S. dollar boosts shipments on the key westbound leg, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants.